Parliament to approve Montevideo Maru resolution

1 1 Parliament to approve Montevideo maru resolution MvM Friends invited to be present in Chamber for historic event Two Ministers will host Parliament House function to mark the day The Australian Parliament is set to debate an historic motion on Rabaul and the Montevideo maru on Monday 21 June. Former servicemen, relatives and friends will be invited to Canberra to witness the debate and attend a subsequent function hosted by Veterans Affairs Minister Alan Griffin and Environment Minister and Trust Patron Peter Garrett. It is expected the resolution will cover.

2 (1) the gratitude of the Australian nation to the military personnel and civilians in Rabaul and the New Guinea Islands for their services in the defence of Australia during World War II (2) regret and sorrow for the sacrifices that were made in the defence of Rabaul and the New Guinea Islands after the invasion of 23 January 1942 and in the subsequent sinking of the Montevideo maru on 1 July 1942 (3) condolences to the relatives of the people who died in this conflict (4) thanks to the relatives for their forbearance and efforts in ensuring that the nation remembers the sacrifices made The Montevideo maru Memorial Trust was established to ensure national recognition of Australia s greatest maritime disaster, a tragedy of war that cost well over 1,000 lives and affected many thousands more.

3 Contact the Trust at PO Box 1743 Neutral Bay, NSW 2089 or email The multi-partisan group of speakers will include Catherine King (ALP Vic), Louise Markus (Lib NSW), Bruce Scott (Nat Qld), John Murphy (ALP NSW), Steven Ciobo (Lib Qld) and Bob Katter (Ind Qld). People who wish to attend the Parliamentary event and function need to register with committee member Andrea Williams at or on phone (02) 9449 4129. No time has yet been set for the debate, but it is likely to occur in the late afternoon. This is a wonderful opportunity for our Parliament to expatiate a lot of the grief and misunderstanding built up over the years since the men of the Montevideo maru were lost in what was a terrible disaster for our nation, said Trust president Keith Jackson.

4 It will be a significant action by our Parliament : one that the few remaining men of Lark Force and the relatives of those who died, many of them now in their eighties and nineties, have been waiting for and will treasure. They will travel to Canberra to witness it and to be part of it. They will sit in the gallery and know the sacrifice is honoured by the Parliament of their nation. In another development, the Director of the Australian War Memorial, Maj Gen (ret) Steve Gower has advised the Trust that his Council has given in-principle approval for a Rabaul and Montevideo maru monument to be constructed in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial.

5 Much work lies ahead, but this is a significant step, said Prof Jackson. MvM Newsletter 12 April 2010 Montevideo maru Memorial Trust 2 Leave our mates in peace By Sandy McNab I am a member of No 1 Independent Coy, AIF. I wish to make known my opinion regarding the finding of the Montevideo maru . I have gathered the feelings of the few survivors of our company and the almost unanimous answer to the question is that we should leave the wreck undisturbed and leave our mates in peace. I can imagine the shambles if the location of the ship was released: uncontrolled diving, seizing relics etc.

6 I realise I may be going against the wishes of my old mate Lex Fraser but I am sure, on reflection, he will concur with our sentiments. By all means keep up the effort to find the roll of those aboard the ship. It may finally lay to rest the rumour that our men were not on the ship! Wishing the committee success. _____ Keith Jackson comments: Sandy will be pleased to know it is Trust policy that the ship not be disturbed. We do believe, however, that the area of the sinking, the coordinates of which are known, be declared an official war grave.

7 As such, it could not be interfered with by divers. The depth at which the ship lies, believed to be about 4,000 metres, is also strong protection against human intrusion. Further, it is not the view of the committee that the so-called captain s safe theory has validity. Some people feel that the nominal roll of prisoners may have been put in the captain s safe . There is no evidence to support such speculation but, even if it were true, neither the safe nor any documents inside would be in a viable condition today, even if it was possible to recover them.

8 We also thank Sandy for his recent generous donation of $250 to the Memorial Fund and, with Anzac Day approaching, we honour him and his distinguished comrades from No 1 Independent Coy. PNG absent in curriculum By Andrea Williams The draft K-10 Australian curriculum is now available for comment until 23 May. It is on the on the Australian Curriculum Assessment & Reporting Authority ( acara ) website. There is very little PNG content: one small reference to Papua as a Queensland colony, which it never was! Most people see the curriculum as an opportunity to enable students to better understand the history of Australia s Pacific involvement in two world wars, including the fall of Rabaul and the sinking of the Montevideo maru .

9 There should also be understanding of why New Guinea was a mandated territory under Australian administration; the Australian role in taking PNG to Independence; and why PNG is still important to Australia today. The period for public comment on the curriculum gives us the opportunity to ensure that Australia s unique association with PNG is covered. Australian students should understand the historical significance of our relationship so that future generations understand our closest neighbour. acara is encouraging people to comment on the website so changes can be made during the consultation period.

10 To comment, people need to register at , read through the curriculum and look for opportunities where PNG could be included (sometimes instead of some other country). The Trust s recognition sub-committee is working with the PNGAA history sub-committee to prepare a submission for the acara Board. There is information on the PNGAA forum at: and it would be great to see input from others. People who provide input to the acara website could also send a copy to Andrea Williams at 3 The enquiry into the bombing of the MS Herstein BY NILS T SELVIK When a ship is lost or some other grave accident happens - a court of inquiry normally examines the circumstances.